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Am I the only one who regrets going with a cheap foundation contractor?
I hired a guy named Dave from a small outfit near Austin to pour my slab for a 1,200 square foot custom build... saved maybe 3 grand upfront. Two months later I noticed cracks forming near the kitchen area and had to bring in a structural engineer for 800 bucks. Has anyone else tried to cut costs on the foundation and ended up paying way more later?
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troy8324mo ago
Did you actually look up Dave's info with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers or the TDLR? Because here's the thing - in Texas, a lot of those cheap slab guys aren't even licensed contractors. They're just dudes with a truck and a mixer who call themselves "foundation specialists." You might've saved $3k upfront, but an $800 engineer bill is honestly pretty cheap compared to what some folks end up paying. I've seen people have to rip out whole slabs and repour because the dirt wasn't compacted right or they skimped on rebar. The worst part is Dave probably didn't have any real insurance either, so good luck getting him to fix anything now. Next time, spend the extra cash on a real foundation company with a legit license and bond.
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annas873mo ago
Actually, Tara, in Texas you don't need a license to be a foundation contractor. There's no state license for general contractors or foundation guys specifically, just a registration if you're doing residential work. I looked into this after my own slab mess two years back. So Dave not having a license isn't necessarily illegal, but it's a huge red flag that he probably has zero training or insurance. The real issue is that Texas doesn't regulate these guys at all, so you have to do all the checking yourself on their bond, insurance, and reputation.
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